1:26 – Since the early eighties, more than a thousand Indigenous women and girls have been reported missing and murdered in Canada. The federal government set up a commission last September to inquire about the root causes of the violence. The deadline for their interim report was scheduled for November first of this year. Now critics are saying that the deadline is unrealistic. Midweek reporter Heather Botham spoke with Carleton University law professor, Jane Dickson, about the deadline for the report.

4:58 – On Super Bowl Sunday protestors gathered on the steps of Parliament Hill. They weren’t there for the New England Patriots or the Atlanta Falcons. They were there for electoral reform, Midweek reporter Cody MacKay has more.

8:07 – Cold temperatures and a frozen canal won’t be stopping dragon boat enthusiasts from a day on the water – well.. frozen water. From February seventeenth to eighteenth, Canada’s one hundred and fiftieth Anniversary Celebration at Ottawa’s Winterlude will be hosting North America’s first Ice Dragon Boat Festival. We spoke live with John Brooman, CEO of the Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival.

11:18 – Something is a’brewin in Ottawa. The 3rd annual Winter Brewfest hits Lansdowne Park February 17th-19th. Beers from Ottawa and Quebec will be featured at the event, along with a variety of activities to suit every beer drinker alike. Midweek’s Brianne Smith spoke with Brewfest organizer Michael O’Farrell to find out more about the microbrewery revolution.

15:11 – Little Victories Coffee in Hintonburg is trying to change the way people in Ottawa view and drink their coffee. Co-owners Andrew Bassett and Jeremie Thompson say they want a higher quality coffee-culture in Ottawa. The grand opening of Little Victories is their first step towards changing the coffee community. Sydney LaRose talked to them about how they are brewing this change, one cup at a time.

19:23 – A hardware store in Renfrew, Ontario has taken seeds of a flower called Morning Glory off its shelves after concerns people were using the seeds to get high. The store reported selling a large amount of the seed packets last week to teenagers and young adults. Normally, the store doesn’t sell any of the seeds in February. Patty Allen is a mental health nurse at Carleton University’s health centre, Midweek’s Chris Miller sat down with her to learn about why people experiment with these products.

23:18 – It’s not your typical game of hockey. Sledge Hockey of Eastern Ontario held a free tryout event this past Sunday. The organization holds a few of these events throughout the year. They have also cut down on registration prices this season to encourage more people to play. Midweek’s Chris Miller explores why the organization believes it is important to expose people to sledge hockey.

28:08 – The federal Liberal and NDP parties are working together to tackle what’s being called an opioid crisis in Canada. The two parties tabled a bill in December that includes creating access to safe injection sites for drug users. There are just two safe injection sites in Canada, both of which are in Vancouver. But more will be popping up soon with three safe injection sites just approved by Health Canada to open in Montreal. Louise Lafond is a member of Campaign for Safer Consumption Sites in Ottawa. She spoke with C-K-C-U’s Heather Botham about the benefit of having safe injection sites in the community.

31:27 – Hopewell Eating Disorder Centre hosted a fundraising marketplace event at the Glebe Community Centre last weekend. All proceeds from the event would go to this Ontario-based non-for-profit organization. This event is hosted during the Eating Disorder Awareness Week, celebrated nationwide. The purpose for this event is to advocate that eating disorders are not a choice but are a form of fatal mental illness. Midweek’s Cassandra Wood has the details.

35:43 – Ottawa-based tech giant, Shopify has refused to cut dies with the controversial news site Breitbart despite calls for a boycott. A public campaign with over twenty thousand signatures has not swayed Shopify, and the company holds the position that censoring products will undermine their core value of free speech. Midweek’s Maxine Betteridge-Moes sat down with Mitchell Beer, who recently published an opinion article on the National Observer and has a lot to say about this issue.

38:50 – The federal government is funding five new research projects at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. One of these projects is the first of its kind in the world. Midweek’s Maxine Betteridge-Moes spoke with doctor David Birnie to find out more about his groundbreaking study on a rare condition called cardiac sarcoidosis.

42:45 – The globe has seen many tragic events since the start of two thousand and seventeen. The Quebec City mosque shooting, the effects of a potential travel ban by the United States, ISIS bombings and an Istanbul nightclub shooting. Midweek’s Alanna Smith found out how university professors can address these events with students.

47:37 – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to students at University of Ottawa on Monday. He promised to do more to address sexual assault. Meanwhile, students at Carleton University are calling for change to the current policy. Alanna Smith has the story.

49:45 – Never received your Hogwarts letter when you were 11? No problem, Ottawa resident witch Jona Macdonald recently launched The Little Witch School, an online forum for learning pagan witchcraft. Midweek reporter Amy Fraser spoke with MacDonald about The Little Witch School and the stigmas he faces being a Wiccan in today’s society

53:35 – Heart month has started, and local events in Ottawa are raising awareness about heart disease. Among organizers is Hema Murty, a Masala Banghra instructor. Raphaela Nehme reports.

55:02 – Carleton University Art Gallery’s Open Space Lab is hosting a special exhibition on art poems and stories on women, expressed through calligraphy. Toronto-based Iranian artist Gita Hashemi creates these stories in large landscape formats. Hashemi will be writing story selections in Farsi about Iranian women. Midweek’s Cassandra Wood has more details.

59:16 – It’s a rite of passage here in Ottawa; skating the Rideau Canal. If you’re new to Canada, taking to the ice for the first time can be especially exciting. But it can also be pretty darn daunting. Midweek’s Patrick Butler hit the canal to find out just how it feels learning to skate on the world’s largest naturally frozen rink.

About Midweek:

We are a team of Bachelors and Masters degree students in our final year of study at the Carleton School of Journalism. Every Wednesday we meet in the school's radio lab to make a little radio magic.

Midweek airs every Wednesday from noon to 1:30 p.m. on CKCU (93.1 FM in Ottawa). We also post past episodes here.